Preliminary cooler for ice-machines



No. 609,999. Patented Aug. 30, I898. R. F. SCHRUEDER.

PRELIMINARY COOLER FOR ICE MACHINES.

(Application filed Dec. 3, 1897.)

(N0 Model.)

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PRELIMINARY COOLER FOR ICE-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 609,999, dated August30, 1898.

Application filed December 3, 1897. Serial No. 660,681. (No model.)

T0 (t'ZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that LEICHARD F; SGHROEDER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sacramento, county of Sacramento, State of California, haveinvented an Improvement in Preliminary Coolers for Ice-Machines; and Ihereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus for cooling water previous to itsbeing introduced into the freezing-cans of ice-machines, in which it isfinally frozen into blocks.

It consists of the parts and the construc tions and combinations ofparts hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure 1 is an end view and section ofa part of the apparatus. Fig. 2 isa side ele-' vation and partial section of the cooling-pipes andconnected mechanism. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of thedistributing-trough of the cooler. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same.

The objects of my present invention are to simplify the mechanicalconstruction of the apparatus, to increase the rapidity with which theoperations can be carried on, and correspondinglyimprove the quality ofthe product;

In the manufacture of ice it is first necessary to expel all the airfrom the water before it is frozen in order to produce a clearer.

and more solid ice, and after this is done and before the water thusprepared is introduced into the freezing-cans I have found a veryimportant part of the operation of manufacturing the ice is to cool thewater to a tempera ture so near to freezing that it will commence tofreeze at once as soon as it is introduced. into the cans. In order toefiect this, I have shown a series of coils ofpipe A superposed in sucha manner that they stand essentially in a vertical plane, one coil abovethe other, and the pipes composing said coils extend horizontallybackward and forward, being united at opposite ends by curved couplings,so that water introduced into one end of the coil under pressure maypass to the other end before being discharged. In the present case Ihave shown the water as being introduced into the bottom of the coil bymeans of a pipe B, which opens out from a cylinder 0, fixed withsuitable relation to the coils and having a supply or inlet pipe Dopening into the lower end, as shown plainly in Figs. 1 and 2.

'Water thus admitted through the pipe D passesthrough the cylinder 0into the pipe B, thence into the coils Aat the bottom. Passing backwardand forward through said coils to the top, it is discharged at A to passinto the freezing-cans. While the water-is thus flowing through thepipes,I discharge cold' brine or other medium upon the upper part of theline of pipes, so that it will trickle down over the pipes A, and thuscool the wa ter which is passing through them. In. order to effect this,I have shown a trough E, which has a pipe F extending from end to. endthrough the upper part. The pipe is secured to the trough by means ofbrackets and clamp ing-straps G and G at intervals from end to end ofthe pipe and trough, so that the pipe and trough may tilt together aboutthe common center, this center being the axis of the pipe, which may besuitably journaled and turnable in bearings or boxes at upon a supportin line above the pipes A.

i This device is supplied with brine by means of a small box or tank II,which is fixed approximately centrally to the pipe F, and brine from thebox flows through a hole I into the central portion of the'pipe F, thusfilling the pipe, and when the pipe is filled the water overflowsthrough a slot or channel f made in the upper side of the pipe F. Thisbrine overflowing from the pipe is delivered into the trough E anddischarges through a slot e, extending along the lower edge of thetrough, falling thence upon the pipes, as before described. r

The box H is supplied with brine by means of a cock'and inclined faucetJ from a sup plytank K. I r

As soon as the Water is temporarily cutoff in the cooling-pipes A, it isnecessary to divert the cold brine from the outside of the pipes toprevent the water becoming solidi fied in the pipes, and in order to dothis the trough E is tilted upon the trunnions at the instant when thewater stops flowing, so that the discharge e at the lower edge will becarried out of line with the pipes A, as shown in dotted lines inFig. 1. This operation is ef fected by means of a plunger L, fitting andmovable in the upper part of the cylinder O, having a piston-rod M and aconnecting-rod N, which unites it with the lever-arm O, pro

jecting to one side from the journaled tube F or the trough, so that bythe moving of the lever-arm O the parts may be tilted as beforedescribed.

The part of the cylinder in which the plunger L moves is of somewhatlarger diameter than the lower end into which the water is received fromthe pipe D, and the plunger has gaskets at the upper and lower end, asshown at Z.

A seat or shoulder is formed in the cylinder 0 at the junction of thesmaller and larger diameters, and upon this seat the piston closes whenit is at its lowest point, thus preventing any passage of water throughthe joint.

When the piston is forced to the upper end of its stroke, itcorrespondingly closes against a seat formed by the cover of thecylinder and in the same manner prevents any leakage from thatdirection.

The operation of the device will then be as follows: As long as thewater flows freely through the pipes D and B and the cans are beingfilled the piston L will remain at its lowest point, being carried thereby gravitation, and the trough E will stand in such position that thebrine therefrom will trickle down over the coils A. As soon as the wateris shut off in the pipe A by reason of the can being filled the pressurefrom the pipe D will be transferred to the piston L, will push thepiston up to the top of the cylinder 0, and acting through the pistonand connecting-rods L and M and the arm 0 it will tilt the tube F andthe trough E until the discharge apex of the trough has been carried toone side of the pipes A, and it will then discharge the cold brine awayfrom the pipes A, thus temporarily arresting the cooling process withinthose pipes. The tilting of the trough and the pipe F also carries thebox H out of the line of the faucet and supply-pipe J, as shown bydotted lines, Fig. 1, the said pipe being shown inclined at an angle tocause the brine running from the tank K to be discharged to one side ofthe trough and the pipes.

R is a weight fixed upon an arm projecting to one side of the tube F,and this weight, lying upon the same side of the trough with the pistonand its connections, will act by gravitation to force the piston down toits lowest point and return the trough to a position where it will againdischarge upon the pipes A as soon as the water is allowed to again fiowfreely through the pipes D, B, and A. The operation will thus beautomatic, and the discharge of the cooling liquid upon the pipescontaining the water to be frozen will be continued while the water isflowing and arrested when the water is not flowing.

By my present arrangement I am enabled to introduce the water into thefreezing-cans with the least possible delay, and therefore noopportunity is given for air to again get into the water after it hasonce been expelled. The pressure is constant, the water flows rapidlyand with little or no variation in its speed,

and where the plant is large and the expense of running it considerablethe saving thus effected is of very material value in the production ofice.

The brine after passing over the pipes is received in a tank K below,from which it is pumped in any well-known manner into the upper end ofthe tank K and there recooled to be used again.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A preliminary cooler for water to be frozen, consisting of channelsfor conveying the water to the freezing-cans, a cold-brine supply abovethe same, a directing apparatus between and in line with the channelsand the brine-supply for discharging cold brine upon the channels, whilethe can is being filled, and means automatically controlled by the flowin the channels for throwing the directing apparatus out of linetherewith and with the brine-supply whereby the discharge is divertedfrom the directing apparatus while the flow in channels is arrested.

2. A preliminary cooler for water to be frozen consisting of channelsfor conveying the water to the freezing-cans, a cold-brine supply abovethe same, a directing apparatus comprising a trough between and inline-with the channels and the brine-supply, having openings in itsbottom adapted to discharge cold brine upon the channels, while the canis being filled, and a pipe within the upper part of the trough andturnable in unison therewith, and having an open slot in its top, meansfor supplying brine through said open top and means automaticallycontrolled by the flow in the channels for throwing the directingapparatus out of line with the channels and with the brine-supplywhereby the discharge is diverted from the directing apparatus while theflow in the channels is arrested.

3. A preliminary cooler for ice-machines consisting of channelsinterposed between the source of supply and the freezing-can, a troughhavingdischarge-openings in the bottom, a pipe fixed longitudinallywithin the upper part of the trough, the ends forming journals aboutwhich both pipe and trough are turnable, a central box fixed to the pipeand connecting with its interior, means for supplying the cold brine tosaid box, and thence to the interior of the pipe, means for tilting themechanism, automatically controlled by the flow in the channels wherebythe trough is alternately tilted to discharge the brine upon thechannels while water is flowing therethrough and to divert the flow ofbrine when the flow of water through the pipe ceases.

4:. A preliminary cooler for water to be frozen in ice-machinesconsisting of channels interposed between the water supply andfreezing-cans, through which the water flows, a trough having a pipeextending longitudinally through the upper part forming journals IIOabout which the pipe and trough are turnable, discharge openings in thebottom of the trough in line with the channels through which the waterflows, a box fixed to the pipe in the upper part of the trough, asupply-pipe delivering brine into said box and thence into the interiorof the pipe, a slotted opening in the top of the pipe through which thebrine overflows into the trough, and mechanism for automatically tiltingthe trough so as to discharge to one side of the channels when water isnot flowing therethrough, said tilting also carrying the supply-box outof the line of the supply-pipe and allowing the latter to discharge toone side of the trough and waterconducting channels.

5. A preliminary cooler for water to be frozen in ice-machines,consisting of channels interposed between the water-supply and thefreezing-cans through which the water flows,

a pivoted tilting trough having openings in the bottom, means comprisinga box and a slotted turnable pipe whereby the trough is supplied withcold brine, said trough being movable so that the openings stand abovethe channels, or are moved to one side thereof, mechanism forautomatically tilting the trough and its connections consisting of aplunger fitting in the enlarged upper part of a cylinder, a supply-pipeentering the bottom of the cylinder, a pipe leading from the cylinder tothe cooling-channels, a lever-arm fixed to the tilting trough,connecting-rods between the plunger and lever-arm whereby it is turnedto discharge the brine away from 6. A preliminary cooler for water to befrozen in ice-machines, consisting of channels interposed between thewater-supply and the freezing-cans through which the water flows, apivoted tilting trough having openings in the bottom, means comprising aslotted turnable pipe and a connected box having an outlet whereby thetrough is supplied with cold brine, said trough being movable so thatthe openings stand above the channels, or are moved to one side thereof,mechanism for automatically tilting the trough and its connectionsconsisting of a plunger fitting in the enlarged upper part of acylinder, a supplypipe entering the bottom of the cylinder, a pipeleading from the cylinder to the coolingchannels, a lever-arm fixed tothe tilting trough, connecting-rods between the plunger and lever-armwhereby it is turned to discharge the brine away from the channels whenthe piston is moved upwardly in the cylinder, and a Weight supportedfrom the same side of the trough whereby the piston is depressed and thetrough returned to its normal position when the How through the pipes isagain commenced.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RICHARD F. SCHROEDER.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR M. SEYMOUR, J. T. RoNAN.

